Missing New Jersey woman was under a lot of stress, husband says

John Runyon, husband of a missing Lawrence, N.J. woman, told NewsWorks on Wednesday afternoon that stress from their daughter’s move out and her mother’s recent death may have “pushed her over the edge”, prompting her to leave her home unannounced on Monday morning.

“I know she didn’t leave with any money or credit cards,” Runyon said of his wife. “This is just kinda out of the clear blue what she did. She’s never done something like this, just take off and we don’t know where she is.”

As the search for Martha Runyon, 60, continues into its third day, Lieutenant Mark Ubry of the Lawrence Township Police Department said they have no leads on where she might be.

Her husband describes Runyon as having a fair complexion, blonde shoulder length hair and blue eyes; she is 5′ 11″ and approximately 135 pounds. She was last seen by her husband in their home on Rosetree Lane on Sunday evening, July 7. The New Jersey State Police issued a missing persons alert on Monday afternoon.

Mr. Runyon did not recall any unusual behavior from his wife just before she disappeared, but he said that mounting stress in her life might have triggered her to leave.

“A lot of things have been building up,” Mr. Runyon said. “My mother-in-law passed away and we buried her on the 20th [of June]. My daughter was moving out – that’s my wife’s best friend. She didn’t want her to leave.” It’s something Mr. Runyon said might have “[thrown] more wood on the fire”.

Over the past few days, police have been searching neighboring towns as well as Lambertville, N.J., where Martha Runyon cares for her horses. Mr. Runyon said that his wife usually visits the stables several times a week, but three separate searches conducted yesterday by the Lambertville Police Department came up empty.

Martha Runyon is a systems analyst and newsletter editor at the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission in Trenton. She is well known in the community for her weekly newsletters about cultural events in the county. Co-worker Tricia Fagan said Mrs. Runyon is on everyone’s minds. “We’re very concerned about her and we’re hoping that she’s safe.”

In the meantime, John Runyon says that the Lawrence Township Police Department has been very responsive. “When I first called they were here in ten minutes,” he said. “They have been doing an outstanding job trying to find my wife.”

Mr. Runyon expressed his hopes that he will hear from his wife soon. “I think she just needs a break from everybody.”

Anyone with information that can help in safely locating Martha Runyon is asked to call the Lawrence Township Police Department at (609) 896-1111.